The Great Hall in the Mansion, College at Florham, now has furnishings that have added a sense of warmth, style and utilitarianism. “With this gift of furnishings for the Great Hall, the Friends of Florham have continued their exceptional work for the College at Florham,” said Kenneth Greene, interim provost (Flor). “They rebuilt the Italian and Clowney Gardens, spearheaded the restoration of Lenfell Hall and repainted and furnished the Great Hall. The Friends of Florham’s projects have contributed significantly to the beauty of the campus.”

In recent months, the Friends of Florham have completed another stage in their restoration project at the Vanderbilt’s Florham (the grounds, buildings and Mansion of the present College at Florham campus).

The friendly area outside the College of Florham Admissions Office in the Mansion, made possible by the Friends of Florham, provides a comfortable respite for, from left, Dawn Dupak, member, Friends of Florham; Alexander Muller, admissions counselor (Flor); Bernetta Millonde, University director of undergraduate admissions (Flor); and Linda Meister, member, Friends of Florham.

Just inside the Mansion’s main door, in what is known as the Great Hall, the Friends have placed a mahogany table desk and two Chippendale chairs. Near the Provost’s Office, an ornate mirror hangs above a Baker marble-topped table with cabriole legs. They are accentuated with Chippendale armchairs.

A mahogany table with curved feet, once in the Admissions Office, has been moved to the hall. “We simply utilized this piece of furniture that was once in another space for the purpose of giving the students an attractive place where they could fill out applications and meet,” said Barbara Keefauver, co-chair of the Restoration Committee and a member of the Friends of Florham board. That table is also accented with Chippendale chairs.

Furniture groupings and a mirror adorn the Great Hall of the Mansion, College at Florham, thanks to the Friends of Florham.

Outside the Admissions Office are a newly re-upholstered couch and two chairs, as well as a mahogany end table. “Again, these wonderful mahogany pieces were in the Admissions Office, and we decided to recover them with appropriate fabrics to create an area for students to meet and enjoy,” stated Keefauver. This upholstery is the same fabric as the window treatments in the Great Hall and stairway. Woven especially for the Friends of Florham renovation by Scalamandre, N.Y.C., the same team that orchestrated the transformation of Lenfell Hall, the Mansion, in 1999, the fabric was inspired by a description in auction records of a rose-red color damask that once hung in the estate.

Gary Hamme, vice president for enrollment management, said, “The renovation of this particular area outside of our Admissions Office has done two very important things for the University — it has given us an attractive and spacious area for students and parents to meet with staff. And, most importantly, it gives these families a sense that, at one time, the Mansion was a home, and that it is a truly unique historic entity.”

Prior to beginning the renovation, the Friends of Florham reviewed historic pictures of the Great Hall and tried to locate accurate reproductions that would give the same feeling of the estate’s original environment. The Friends visited former Vanderbilt homes in Newport, R.I.; Tarrytown: N.Y.; Ashville, N.C.; and New York City. Keefauver and Phyllis Conway, also of the Friends board, studied the original records of the 1955 auction of the contents of the Mansion. Color schemes and fabrics selected were consistent with the historical context of that time. Paint colors were chosen from the British National Trust selection and from the Hammond Harwood House in Annapolis, Md.

The Friends of Florham have raised the money to support the restoration of the Great Hall. The cost, including painting, draperies and furniture, has thus far amounted to $76,692. Funds primarily come from the Friends’ annual Gala Balls, held since 1997, as well as many individual and community donations and several gifts-in-kind.

Prior to their work on the Great Hall, the Friends restored the Clowney Gardens behind the Mansion and the Italian Garden to the side of the Mansion. Other projects undertaken include the replication and hanging of portraits of Florence and Hamilton Twombly in Lenfell Hall and the planting of two large holly trees in front of the Mansion. In addition, the Friends of Florham was integral to the restoration of the Lenfell Hall. The group also sponsors lectures pertaining to historic restoration such as the scheduled March 16 event, “When Florham Was New” (see http://inside.fdu.edu/pt2/otw0302/lecture.html).

The Friends of Florham, established in 1990, comprises interested citizens and members of the University community. Its mission is “to advise and assist FDU’s administration in the care, maintenance and historic preservation of the Twombly estate buildings designed by McKim Mead and White, the grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and the gardens at the College at Florham of the University.” The president of the Friends board is Emma Joy Dana.

March 2003

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Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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